WAAMH was delighted to host the 2017 WA Mental Health Conference and Awards last week, which showcased the breadth, unity, energy and passion of mental health in WA.

At the conference, WAAMH launched the Reinvest Graylands campaign which is seeking a commitment from the State Government to reinvest all resources from the redevelopment of the Graylands Hospital site back into mental health. We also took the opportunity to promote the need for the State and Commonwealth Governments to offer of funding to address the gap in community mental health support for those ineligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Special thanks to everyone who assisted in making the conference a success, with a particular thank you to Katrina Bercov and Cath Harper at WAAMH who took most responsibility for organising this successful event.

The NDIS has been the focus of attention nationally in recent months, with the Productivity Commission conducting an NDIS costs inquiry, a Senate Standing Committee undertaking an inquiry into psychosocial disability and the NDIS, and also into amendments to the relevant Act.

WAAMH has provided input to these national initiatives through Community Mental Health Australia and further details can be found at the CMHA website.

Rod Astbury
Chief Executive Officer
Western Australian Association for Mental Health

A huge thanks to everyone who contributed to the WA Mental Health Conference and Awards held last week at the Perth Concert Hall.

We were delighted to welcome over 450 delegates and over 1000 patrons in total to all events, including 90 people who received lived experience subsidies or regional travel grants to attend. Over 80 people were involved in presenting or participating in a panel and we appreciated the kind support of over 40 volunteers.

Special thanks to Gold Sponsors Hope Community Services, Ruah Community Services and Helping Minds. Overall the conference was a great step forward towards integrated lives and we think the wisdom, compassion and learning will resonate throughout the sector. Watch the WAAMH website and social media over the next week for photos of the event.

The WA Mental Health Awards were held at the conclusion of the first day of the conference, with finalists, winners and delegates enjoying a Cocktail Dinner following a formal Awards Ceremony. All finalists and winners were of a very high calibre, making the judge's job a difficult one, with a great diversity of skills and programs highlighted from across the sector.
View the list of this year’s winners.

Following their unveiling at the conference, this inspirational exhibition will be on display for general public viewing from 10am-2pm weekdays at the Workzone Foyer, 1 Nash St, Perth until Friday, 28th July. The exhibition, supported by Richmond Wellbeing and Southern Cross Care (WA), recognises the important link between nature, creativity and personal wellbeing.

Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite shot, which will be awarded the People’s Choice Photography Award and 12 outstanding entries will be selected to be developed into a 2018 Wellbeing Calendar, with mental health tips and ideas.

Registrations are now open for the National Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) conference, to be held on 18 October 2017 as an inaugural Western Australian event. The conference plays a major role in correcting damaging myths and replacing stigma with replaced by a more positive evidence-driven outlook. Click here to register now!
Thanks to our sponsors
The Australian BPD Foundation and WAAMH conference team is delighted to welcome the latest sponsors. You can help by supporting this unique event - there is a variety of sponsorship options available to suit different budgets.

25 July 2017
Sexual & Gender Diversity & Mental Health
A person’s sexual orientation and gender identity can have a profound impact on their experience of mental illness as a consumer or carer, appropriate treatment options and their service needs. This workshop is designed to assist mental health and other community workers to understand diverse needs and improve service delivery for LGBTIQA communities.

26 July 2017
De-escalation Techniques
This course is designed to assist service providers and front-line staff to respond appropriately to threatening, violent, aggressive and other unexpected or inappropriate behaviour.

27 July 2017
Creating Recovery Plans
This workshop is designed to help mental health staff refine and develop their skills in recovery planning and create more effective and personalised documents to serve as a “roadmap” for the individual’s recovery journey.

18 August – 13 October, 2017
Influential Public Speaking for Change-Makers (3 places left)
Game changing communication skills for advocates, campaigners and anyone seeking to persuade. This unique course develops public speaking and persuasive communication skills for advocates and others, who are trying to make a point.

29 Aug 2017
Co-existing Disorders, Addiction & Mental Health
This one-day workshop examines the complex relationship between substance use or addiction and mental health problems. Learn about the relationship between substance use and mental health issues and how one causes the other and why they so often will occur together.

5 Sep 2017
Starting the Conversation
For someone experiencing a mental health problem, one of the most powerful things which can help, is someone they know who is able to talk and willing to listen. This practical skill-building course explores how ordinary people can start the conversations which make a difference and sometimes save lives.

6 Sep 2017
Trauma Informed Care
Working with people who have experience trauma or abuse. Becoming “trauma-informed” is all about understanding, recognising, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma and creating the types of psychologically safe environments, necessary to rebuild lives.

7 Sep 2017
Re-thinking Thoughts
Our thoughts create our experiences. To a large extent it is our internal “self talk” and the nature of our “mental life”, which determines our moods, emotions, subjective experiences and ultimately our quality of life.

12 Sep 2017
Safe Professional Boundaries 
For community sector and healthcare workers. Professional boundaries are all about protecting both clients and workers, and creating positive, effective relationships, within appropriate legal and ethical parameters.

7-14 Oct 2017
Mental Health Week 2017
In 2017, Mental Health Week is celebrating 50 years! This year will have a strong focus on regional WA and connecting with nature, community and self for mental wellbeing. The Opening Ceremony will be held in Kalgoorlie.

For more details and to register for any of our training courses, please visit: https://waamh.org.au/events/training-courses.aspx

WAAMH welcomed Minister for Mental Health, the Hon. Roger Cook MLA’s statements at the recent WA Mental Health Conference that the McGowan government was committed to improving mental health outcomes, will maintain a specific ministerial portfolio for mental health and retain the Mental Health Commission as a stand-alone agency. These elements are all essential to lift mental health up the priority list, rebalance the system and ensure reforms are co-produced with consumers and carers.

While WAAMH acknowledges the Minister’s statement that we need to achieve a more balanced system, the Government’s election commitments to build more beds without concurrent investment in community support are off the mark: a lack of services mean only 20 per cent of people with a mental health illness can access community support

The recent conference also saw the launch of the Reinvest Graylands campaign, calling on the State Government to reinvest all funds raised as part of the divestment of the Graylands Hospital (beginning in late 2017) back into contemporary mental health services with a focus on prevention and community-based support. This was flagged in the 10 Year Mental Health Plan released by the previous Government in 2015, however there has as yet been no commitment from the McGowan government to this effect. We are calling on members to make their voice heard – join the campaign at the website link or via social media listed above.

The 2017 WA Mental Health Conference was a great opportunity to highlight issues around community-based mental health supports for WA consumers, with some great coverage over the two days. Click for an overview of the coverage.

Food for thought
With the NDIS and Suicide Prevention projects rolling out in the Kimberley, the recently released article ‘Mental health needs community-driven, whole-of-government responses’ provides a timely reflection on what is working – and what is not – for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. For mental health policy initiatives to have any chance of improving health and wellbeing, the community must be supported and empowered to develop its own approaches.

WAAMH, MHM2, Developmental Disability WA, CoMHWA and other key stakeholders will meet with the Attorney General’s Chief of Staff next week to discuss how reform of the CLMIA Act can enhance access to justice and the human rights of people with mental illness and disability. Phone 6246 3003 or email cmckinney@waamh.org.au for more information.

The Mental Health Network is co-sponsored by the Department of Health and the Mental Health Commission. Currently the administration and management support provided to the Mental Health Network is delivered by the Department of Health. Due to synergies between the work of the Mental Health Sub Networks and the Western Australian Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Services Plan 2015-2025, the Department of Health and the Mental Health Commission have agreed that the Mental Health Network will transfer to the Mental Health Commission.

Healthcare in the northern suburbs will be given a major boost with the expansion of Joondalup Health Campus. The State Government and Ramsay Health Care have co-signed a Statement of Intent to deliver the expansion, with work underway to further develop the plan. The plan will see the Government honour its $167 million election commitment to provide 90 additional public inpatient beds (in addition to the existing 467) and 25-30 new mental health beds (in addition to the existing 47). Click to read the full article on the Premier’s website.

WAAMH has completed its Workforce Development Project to identify future workforce development needs and issues in the community mental health sector (and sectors beyond mental health that deliver mental health services) and presented its final report to the Mental Health Commission in early July. 

WAAMH consulted widely with the sector through agency consultations and site visits, and distributed three separate surveys for agency CEO/managers, individual workers and clients, carers and family members. A mapping and analysis of over 100 jobs advertised in the community mental health sector over an eight week period was also undertaken.

The final report presents 37 recommendations to inform the development of and contribute to the Drug and Alcohol and Mental Health Workforce Development Strategy being developed by the Mental Health Commission in 2017. The report and a summary of the findings and recommendations will soon be available on the WAAMH website.

Consumers, carers, families, support people and other stakeholders are invited to share your knowledge and experience through this consultation. The National Mental Health Commission is conducting an overview of mental health consumer and carer engagement and participation in Australia. The project is the result of direction and guidance from a Steering Group, comprised of mental health experts with a lived experience of mental illness and/or suicidality. Craze Lateral Solutions has been engaged to work on this project. The survey is open until 4 August. Take the survey now.

Are you a person with disability, a family member, a carer, or are you just interested in the rights of people with disability? Tell us what you think about the lives of people with disability in Australia. This may include questions about things like health care, employment and access to the local community for people with disability. Complete this survey and tell us how things have improved in the last two years. This feedback will help us understand what areas need to improve under the National Disability Strategy.

Shelter WA is pleased to invite you to their event examining how our systems of government and community services can work more effectively to address homelessness and insecure housing among people with severe mental illness. Earlybird registration and an affordable live streaming option are now open for the morning forum and workshop with speakers the Hon. Roger Cook, Minister for Health and Mental Health and Mental Health Commissioner Tim Marney, to name a few.
Date: Tuesday 8th August
Time: 9am – 1pm
Place: The Duxton Hotel, 1 St George’s Terrace Perth
Contact: Jessica Azzopardi on events@shelterwa.org.au or 9325 6660
Book tickets now. 

A very special thank you to recruitment and human resources specialist firm Chandler Macleod who have signed up as Gold Sponsor for this year’s Mental Health Week. They join Silver Sponsor WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety, Bronze Sponsor Rise and Youth Sponsor MercyCare in supporting the biggest week on the mental health calendar across Australia! See all sponsors at the Mental Health Week website. We are busy preparing new resources which can be ordered online. Check out what is available now and check back often – there are new materials every week!

To celebrate Mental Health Week 2017, Act-Belong-Commit is asking students to illustrate the activities they to do Act-Belong-Commit towards better mental health in an A4 poster.
The competition is open to all WA primary and secondary school students and five finalists will be selected, with the public invited to vote for a winner during 7-14 October. More information here.